Thursday, October 20, 2011

Way back in 1992, Murray Rothbard argued that the country’s best way out of debt was to repudiate it—simply stop paying it. Is that a valid option? What would happen if Uncle Sam just said, “Nope, not gonna pay”?

Back then the debt was a measly $3.5 trillion (less than half the GDP then) versus the $14.8 trillion today (almost exactly equal to the current GDP).

Back then, the entitlement guarantees and commitments numbered about $20 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Today it is over $100 trillion.

What Rothbard knew then, and what we know now, it that this—repudiating the debt—would eventually mean the end of the federal government as we know it. Therefore it seems very unlikely, but it could be an opening to the Free America that we've talked about in earlier episodes. It would force a radical reduction in the scope, cost, and power of the federal government.

And in other news: Is Occupy Wall Street just a preseason warmup for the demonstrations, strikes, and street battles to come in the runup to the 2012 election? What little book written by a Dartmouth professor, Gene Sharp, should you read to learn more about what's happening?

Friday, October 7, 2011

From the earliest days of this podcast, I have advocated that the productive members of our American mess should go on strike.

I've argued that “shrugging out” will be the most effective means of ending our immoral and damaging Dependency Culture and bringing about the conditions necessary for Free America. And given what’s happened in the past year, it is obvious that we are getting close to victory. Message: Hang in there, it’s working!

We also look at what is motivating the Occupy Wall Street crowds and what the new protests portend for the future.

And we examine a great thought piece by Victor Davis Hansen that refutes the notion that we are living in one-of-a-kind times. The same human passions and frailties that drive us now drove us the same way centuries ago. We have all been here before.

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